Sideshow
Trailer
VideoZone Part One
VideoZone Part Two
Review
Sideshow is another in a seemingly endless string of Full Moon movies produced earlier this decade. I believe, at one point, I remember Charles Band stating that during that time they had a total of 70+ movies that would be released that year. My, how times have changed it seems.
Anyway.
The basic plot of Sideshow consists of a group of college students, who look way past college age, who set out to visit a traveling sideshow which is visiting their area. Of course most of the students are pretty skeptical of the show itself, especially the ‘freaks’ that supposedly comprise the main attraction.
As the movie moves along, they each end up getting ‘what they deserve’ as foretold by a fortune teller and are turned into freaks themselves via a weird tube-like device that seems like it would be better suited in an episode of Dr. Who than a ‘horror movie’.
Sideshow has a few things going for it that help it to stand out slightly from the pack of Full Moon movies from this time. Namely Phil Fondacaro. Yep, Full Moon’s token little man takes center stage here and really carries the movie. He really takes on the role of a huckster carny type and holds the film together in spots where others from this time would have completely fallen apart.
Another thing on the plus-side is the make up and effects. They are, in a word, outstanding. Given the budget this was likely made with and the limited locations used to film it, I would guess the majority of the cash was spent in the effects department and it shows. The characters are all extremely well done for a Full Moon flick and in watching the VideoZone, it is evident the crew responsible put heaps of care and close detail into the characters.
The acting here is on par with Full Moon standards and, aside from Fondacaro, noone really stands out and they are all equally cheesy and mediocre. The direction is standard-fare as well and in the AV department again, par for the course.
The DVD itself also scores additional points for having some different trailers as well as a decent VideoZone installment.
I definitely enjoyed Sideshow and would recommend it to Full Moon fans. It hasn’t seemed to get a lot of attention around the net from neither the casual viewer or Full Moon fanatics alike which is unfortunate because it certainly out-does other efforts from earlier this decade.
*** out of 5.
